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The House of Mirth (Paperback)

Description

Lily Bart enjoys luxurious living, but does she enjoy it enough to forego a marriage based on love? Lily is a woman of high social standing in New York and rejects several offers of advantageous marriage. Matters take a turn for the worst, however, when the husband of one of Lily's friends gives Lily a large sum of money. Lily believes it is the return on her investments but the financial arrangement and Lily's visit to Gus in his home erode her social standing. How does a socialite escape prying eyes? Bertha Dorset and her and her husband, George, invite Lily on a cruise of Europe. Unfortunately, Bertha accuses Lily of adultery to distract from Bertha's own dalliances and another scandal ensues.

About the Author

Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927, 1928 and 1930. Wharton combined her insider's view of America's privileged classes with a brilliant, natural wit to write humorous, incisive novels and short stories of social and psychological insight. She was well acquainted with many of her era's other literary and public figures, including Theodore Roosevelt.